The Tide's Maker
by TangleFireClan
Summary: The feelings they had were mutual, but were always kept in check like a muzzle on an unruly beast. Now with an assignment from an unlikely source, and a question waiting to be answered, the leather begins to tear... Jessie and James rocketshipping.
1. The Game

**The Tide's Maker**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with Pokemon.**

AN: So after watching the episode: Training Daze. It really inspired me to write this. According to that episode, Jessie and James certainly do have a chemistry going on. So here's my shot at a rocketship. Enjoy.

Also please note that this story takes off sometime when the trio is in Johto, even though certain Pokemon from other regions will be appearing.

Summery: The feelings they had were mutual, but were always kept in check like a muzzle on an unruly beast. Now with an assignment from an unlikely source, and a question waiting to be answered, the leather begins to tear... Jessie and James will soon find out whether or not this bridled love of theirs proves to be the catastrophe they had feared for so long.

**Chapter One – The Game**

---

"Come on Jessie, just this once?" a lavender haired man pleaded.

"No James, I'm not doing it," replied a fiery haired, and sometimes tempered, young woman as she waved a bothered hand at him. "Just do it yourself and have fun."

Their loyal talking cat was not far off. He sat back watching their exchange, munching on some sort of crunchy snack he had found in one of James' travel bags.

They had set up camp at a trainer friendly campsite, complete with fire pit and picnic table. It was placed at the base of a cliff face which ran countless miles in both directions along the main route for the area. The route ran right by their campsite, and on the other side of the path, vast meadows stretched out, with trees dotting randomly about, until finally forests full of life could be seen in the distance. And as the sun dropped beneath the far off mountains, any remaining rays of light splashed the plains with a variant of greens, making quite the view if one took the time to notice.

The trio had just recently suffered another defeat from the so called "twerps" that they continued to harass. Not to mention said twerps were getting a generous head start through one of the many rock tunnels nearby. But at this point, defeat after defeat, none of them seemed in a hurry to catch up to their targets.

"Jessie..." James whined at her pathetically, only to produce another determined "no" from her. "But it's not fun by myself."

_Ah, the game begins again_, Meowth thought from his spot near the team's campfire. That same game his partners would always play whenever James got to feeling his favorite girl wasn't getting enough joyful stimulation. Of course, that was merely the scientific term. The simple fact was, James merely just wanted Jessie to let go of all her pent up aggravation and join in on an innocent random game with him. And the funny thing? It always worked... well, eventually.

At that point James was on his knees with his hands cupped together in a beg. "Please Jes? Just from here to that tree, and I'll do whatever chore you want me to tonight."

Jessie crossed her arms stubbornly, though she scrutinized him and the tree as though she were calculating a trade. "Hm, well I suppose..."

"Yeah?" James prodded excitedly, knowing well the look Jessie got when she was giving in to his requests.

"Fine, I'll do it, but!-" Jessie exclaimed and aimed a finger at him as his expression brightened tenfold. "I demand a foot rub afterward, and you cook dinner, _and _breakfast in the morning."

Nothing she said seemed to phase the man, kneeling on the ground and beaming up at her like a little boy with a brand new toy. "Yes!" James shouted triumphantly and jumped to his launching position. "Alright, if I win, you're not allowed to smack me the next time you get the urge to do so."

Jessie waved a hand at him with a nonchalant glance as she took up her own starting place. "Yeah, yeah, and if I win then you're not allowed to dodge it."

James frowned and faltered slightly. "But Jessie, I never dodge it."

Jessie looked up as though the thought had just dawned on her, however unaffected she was by it. "Oh yeah, you're right... Go!"

And the redhead was off and running, leaving James to trail after her, whining about her unfair head start.

---

High above the cliff face bordering their makeshift camp, stood an agile, four legged creature. Hidden by the shadows of the rocks surrounding it. The beast appeared pale blue, its eyes focused downward at the two laughing humans below. Its eyes narrowed, but not out of malevolence, rather, it tipped its powerful head curiously at the pair.

Suddenly it looked up at the sound of a few disturbed pebbles and greeted another of its kind with soft growl. As the other beast drew nearer, the fading sunlight hit its pelt, making it shine a brilliant blue. The back of its head was long and slender, like that of a headdress, while its two metal-like tails trailed up its body on either side, as though they were powered by the very ocean itself.

Some would say that to ever see two of these legendary beasts at one time to be impossible. But there they stood, side by side, mates no less by the way they greeted each other with licks and nudges. The newcomer growled in return, inquiring who its mate was observing this day. He was larger, naturally the male, with an authority to his stance, and an intelligence in his eyes which most four legged creatures lacked.

His mate was no different as she replied to him with a throw of her head and a low growl. "Those two, they intrigue me."

"Hm, how so?" the male queried with a slight tip of his head as he watched the humans exchange some sort of conversation, which ultimately resulted in the redhead slugging the man in the shoulder. "A courtship?" the male beast guessed, giving his mate an odd look.

His mate nodded. "It's strange though, the female seems to rule over the male, and he in turn is submissive to her."

The male gave a light growl, similar to a laugh. "Is it really so strange? Humans have always been a mystery to us, and us to them. Perhaps we are not meant to understand their ways." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "besides,_ I _remember a time when a certain female was not always so submissive to the hierarchy placed before her." He furthered his point by butting her head with his own in a playful gesture.

"Surely, I wasn't all _that_ insolent was I?" she wondered, turning to him in question.

"Hmph," he scoffed and turned away, amusement sparking in his eyes before changing the subject. "Will you be observing them for a time then?"

The female nodded, her eyes still downcast at the humans. "For a time," she repeated.

"Very well. I'll be on patrol of the northern region, should you need me." And with a gruff farewell to his mate, he was gone, swallowed up by the shadows and shifting little more than a few pebbles in his wake.

Moments later, she too vanished with the setting sun, leaving the pair of humans to go about their business, ignorant of being watched... for now.

---

AN: Don't worry readers, later chapters will be longer. Oh and if you liked it, please review!^-^ This is only the beginning!


	2. The Fear

**The Tide's Maker**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with Pokemon.**

**Chapter Two – The Fear**

---

They were strange things, dreams. There was always that fine line between silly, ridiculous scenes and that of hauntingly, terrifying nightmares. This was something Jessie had begun to realize after a scene when dancing kitchen utensils quickly morphed into one of which ravenousness wolves started chasing her down, their eyes glowing red and their snarls seemed amplified into roars inside her ears.

Whimpering pitifully in her sleep, Jessie suddenly woke with a startled, though suppressed cry. She took in a quick, panicky survey of her surroundings, suddenly remembering where she was. Safely tucked away in her bed roll. Nearby the campfire was slowly dying, while James and Meowth slept soundly only a few feet away in their own bed rolls. Despite her mite cries they didn't appear disturbed.

With a sigh of relief, she first steadied her breathing before getting up and walking a short ways from camp. Now away from the sounds of the crackling fire, she could hear clearly the sounds of the nighttime creatures that were brought alive by the full moon, now in the center of the sky without the hindrance of clouds. It puzzled her as to why she'd suddenly have a nightmare about wolves. She'd never had a fear of them, at least, not that she could remember... But then, really, when do you get to pick your own dreams?

"Jessie?" James called from his sleeping place, slightly upright and rubbing his eyes tiredly. "You ok?"

"Wha!-" Jessie nearly squeaked in surprise. She hadn't thought she'd wake him. "Oh, James, it's just you. Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare, go back to sleep."

"Huh? Well, if you says so Jes," James said, shrugged, and did as he was told, turning over and resuming his sleep.

With that, Jessie breathed out another sigh of relief. Although she absently wondered why she felt so relieved. Really, what did she have to hide from him? Especially after he had been there for her for so long. But then again, no, she couldn't let him see her weaknesses, her fears. No, she had to uphold her strong, invincible facade. If she didn't, well, things would no longer be in her control. She would be completely at his mercy, and her pride simply wouldn't allow for that. Not to mention he had yet to prove to her that he could handle that kind of responsibility.

Feeling a slight chill in the air, Jessie sat down on the ground, wrapped her arms around her legs, and pulled them close to her chest. _Deep down though,_ She thought with a hapless sigh._ It might be nice to share my fears with him someday... But not now. Not yet..._

Looking out into the darkness, her eyes soon adjusted to the small amount of light that the moon provided. She could even see the breeze moving across the vast meadows laid out before her, and beyond that was the blackness of the forest. Suddenly a flash of an eye's reflection in the darkness made her flinch.

"Th-that stupid nightmare is starting to make me hallucinate!" She shook her head, hoping to rid herself of the absurd thought that she was being watched. She was about to get up from her spot and return to bed when an eerie howling broke out from the direction of... Sure enough, a quick glance back and those same reflecting eyes were there, and they were moving!

Jessie let out a wail of alarm in order to rouse her teammates as she stumbled back towards them. All at once it seemed to occur to her that she might actually be living her nightmare. But there was safety in numbers, if she could just make it back to James and Meowth, then maybe...

Another piercing howl split the air, and it was closer this time, _much_ closer.

Once Jessie had nearly reached them, she could see James and Meowth were now standing, albeit confused. Among the chaos, the campfire had been smothered out, and with it was their only protection from wild Pokemon, leaving them in relative darkness.

But Jessie's vision had already adjusted, so she could still see fairly well and quickly noticed James' outstretched arms, ready to protect her, which was comforting to her in that instant. At that point, time seemed to slow down. But as she reached out for his embrace, his mouth open wide in a shout of concern, a large black pelt brushed against her. Jessie halted dead in her tracks as the beast took its place between her and James.

For his own safety Meowth had climbed up and latched himself to James' shoulder, resembling a permanent fixture with wide eyes and all his fur standing straight up. Even so, he managed to find his voice. "It-It's a Mightyena! But what could it want?"

The said Mightyena howled again and glowered at the redhead, still standing there, separating her from her team.

"W-what did it say Meowth?" James questioned, though his urge to grab Jessie and keep her safe was strong, he remained fixed in his spot for fear the beast would attack her if he moved.

"H-he says that he's come to get Jessie!" Meowth exclaimed.

"What?!" James cried in response, but Jessie stood frozen with terror, for some reason this beast was scaring her more than it should have.

Its eyes didn't glow red like in her dream, but they certainly reflected the moonlight, and that in itself was enough to send her ticker pumping. Before she could even take a step backward the Mightyena used its powerful head and jaws to maneuver her onto his back and then, with his passenger kicking and screaming, he took off at top speed into the thick darkness, leaving James and Meowth to call after them in anguish.

---

Less than a minute had passed after the Mightyena had began his break-neck sprint across the plain in order to reach the forest, and even with a passenger he was steadily eating up the remaining distance at an alarming speed. There was only one problem, the passenger didn't want to _be_ a passenger! At one point Jessie managed to dislodge herself from the monster's back, but she soon realized that it had been a mistake as the large black beast halted and rounded on her with an annoyed growl. "Now look here you big dumb mutt! I'm not going anywhere without a fight-!" Upon reaching for her Pokeballs that weren't there, Jessie paled, suddenly remembering that she had left them at camp. "Uh-heheh, ~n-nice doggie.~"

With another growl the Mightyena drew beside her and crouched slightly, adding a bark which sounded a lot like an order. "Ok, ok, I'll cooperate, just take it easy." Jessie only just proceeded in straddling him when he took off once again, not waiting for her approval. "S-slow d-down!"

He did so, but only after they had reached the pitch blackness of the forest, and even then he was going a little too fast for her taste as he leaped around and over trees and shrubs.

Once he had finally come to a stop, Jessie could hardly tell sky from earth with the way her head was spinning. Gently, the Mightyena set her on the ground and made an odd growling, almost purring noise before leaving her there, but somehow Jessie didn't think it was directed at her.

After a moment to collect her thoughts, Jessie looked around to find herself in the middle of a clearing. The area was awash in clear, blue moonlight. Not only that, but she was surrounded by not just the one Mightyena, but a countless number of Poochyenas, all of them yipping and whining curiously at their new guest. Overcome by bewilderment and the terror her nightmare had instilled into her, she was only absently aware of a shifting noise behind her. When she finally turned around to see its source, her eyes widened as they met with that of red ones, belonging to a bluish, wolf-like Pokemon now standing not even three feet away. She was even more horrified when words actually started forming out of the beast's muzzle.

"Greetings human."

---

"Come on Meowth, he must have said _something_ else," James insisted as he worked on getting his flashlight to work, even smacking it a few times in hopes of at least venting a bit of frustration. He scowled as the entire scenario continued running through his head. _She was right there, within my reach, I should have been able to grab her!_

"Well, I might have this wrong. But I think he said something else before he took off. Something about, taking Jessie to meet with one of the great Alpha's."

"Meowth, really," James sighed, bemused by his teammate's displaced humor. "What does this have to do with the alphabet? Are you sure you're translating right?"

"Grr, you moron!" Meowth hissed. "I'm not the one that's got it wrong!"

But James wasn't really listening, and with one more thud to the flashlight it kicked on. "Alright Meowth, let's go! Do you think you can track em?"

"You got it Jimmy!" Meowth gave a fake salute and dropped to all fours in order to pick up the scent. "It's this way, c'mon!"

"Hold on Jessie, we're coming!"

---

"Y-you can talk!? But I thought only our Meowth was capable of human speech!"

The Suicune shifted her head to the side, a gesture for Jessie to look around. "This is a sacred place, a place where myself and my higher brethren are able to commune with humans during the full moon." the beast paused for a moment, allowing the information to sink in before going on. "I've called you here in order to give you an assignment."

"An assignment?" Jessie nearly snorted in disbelief. "I must still be dreaming. Why would a legendary Pokemon bother to give me an assignment?"

"Do not be so quick to discard a thing of hidden value!" the blue beast growled irritably but quickly regained composure before introducing herself.

"I am called Serene, Maker of the Ocean Tides. And I am the mate of Sirius, Breath of the Living Waters. But I suppose in your human tongue it would be easier if you just called me Serene."

"I'd rather not call you at all," Jessie muttered under her breath. "So why did you _really_ bring me all the way out here?"

Serene observed the woman carefully for a moment, calculating her confidence as well as her arrogance before choosing words in accordance. "I've been observing you and your mate for a short time-"

"James isn't my mate!" Jessie snarled, surprisingly fierce considering she was completely surrounded with no real way of defending herself.

"What? Really? But I was so sure..." The Suicune seemed stunned for an instant but soon looked back to Jessie with an odd scrutiny. "Perhaps we misunderstand each other, but no matter, a demonstration should clear things up."

Jessie began to teeter in response, her face visibly mortified. "A dem- a _demonstration_?"

To Jessie, Serene nodded. "Yes." The blue beast then looked to a pair of Poochyenas among the pack. "You two-"

"No!" Jessie shouted, but she was too late, and all she could do at that point was smack a hand over her eyes, too embarrassed and completely disgusted to even believe this was happening. "No, no, no! I understood just fine what you meant, and I'm telling you again, James and I aren't like that!"

Serene scoffed, still rather unconvinced. "Well, he seems quite fond of you, are you sure-?"

"Yes, quite sure, thank you," Jessie answered through clenched teeth. By now she was really starting to wonder how she could possibly be having this conversation with a Pokemon... Scratch that. This was a really _smart_ Pokemon, but a Pokemon nonetheless.

And of course, said Pokemon was not about to give up. "But my scouts tell me he's coming for you right now-"

"Of course he is, that's what we do. We're partners, and we take care of each other."

"Part-ners?" Serene repeated, just as a child would with a new word. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what having a mate is all about?"

"Well, I-I..."

"Never mind, I did not arrange this meeting in order to instigate an argument," Serene stated with an edge of annoyance lining her tone. "The reason I've been observing both of you is because I was intrigued by your strange courtship, and I wish to know more. I feel there is something we can both learn from each other."

"So wait a second, is your mate in on this conspiracy too? You mentioned him, where is he?" Jessie asked offhandedly after glancing around at the pack of Poochyenas.

"My mate, Sirius, is not here, he is tending to his duties, patrolling the northern region's oceans."

Jessie faltered, nearly collapsing out of amazement. "Y-you mean there are two of you?.. Suicunes I mean?"

Serene tipped her head to one side, puzzled. "Yes, is that... strange?"

"Well, yeah. I just always assumed there was only one of each legendary Pokemon."

"Hm, yes well, as is with most of the higher brethren, we tend to avoid human contact if possible, so most of us strive not to allow your kind to see us."

"If that's true then why am I able to see you right now?"

"I told you, I have an assignment for you to fulfill. As for that. I place this task upon you, to conquer your fear."

Jessie blinked. "What? That's it? What kind of assignment is that? I'm not afraid of anything!" Mentally she made a note that possibly lying to a legendary Pokemon was not the best thing to do at present, but it was an instinctive reaction for her. It was like her personal defensive fortress, besides the fact that not showing any signs of weaknesses to anyone was one of the foremost, fundamental lessons as a Team Rocket agent.

"Is that so?" Serene replied, a slight glint caught in her eye as she rounded on the male Mightyena and barked a command. He in turn lunged towards Jessie with a vicious snarling, causing her to stumble backward and collapse with a yelp, her chest heaving in terror as Serene called him off. "Afraid of nothing indeed."

"Ok, maybe I do have a few issues," Jessie admitted as she stood up once more, dusting herself off as her heart continued to do laps in her chest. "But that was really low," she added, aiming a finger at the same Mightyena, who now sat wagging his tail smugly.

"As I was saying," Serene went on. "It is up to you to discern the fear, and then to overcome it. I will check on your progress with each full moon for the next three moons. At that point, if you should fail your assignment, then...-"

A rapid barking erupted in the clearing, one of the Poochyenas was sounding an alert. "Well," Serene said. "It seems your mate is coming."

"I already told you, he's not my mate!"

"Of course, my mistake," Serene replied flatly, not sounding very convinced as she made a swift gesture with her head. "Take this young one with you, he will serve as our mediator." The smallish Poochyena came bounding over, nearly tripping over his own paws in the process. Jessie looked down at the tiny bundle of black fuzz, and as he stared right back up at her, he wagged his tail happily. It nearly took all of her self control not to pick him up and just squeeze him until he popped, though she managed to keep a rather unimpressed look on her face as Serene went on. "There are a number of places such as this that we can commune, this youngling will lead you to them when I call for him."

"Well, alright, I'll take the free Poochyena, but I'm not doing... _that_!" Jessie shouted, pointing at the two Poochyena's that were still... demonstrating.

"I... Do not understand. How is it you expect to procreate then?" Serene wondered.

"No, you _don't_ understand, and I'm not propagating anything, so just forget it!"

"Well, if you insist. But I must say, you humans get embarrassed about the strangest things. Such odd creatures." Serene turned to leave but before leaping away she added, "I will...try to be more understanding the next time we meet. Though you have managed to amuse me considerably."

"Yeah well I can't say the same to you!" Jessie called after the great beast, and in that instant Serene was gone.

Along with the Suicune's absence came the shouting of James and Meowth. But Jessie was too tired to find them, instead she merely called back to them, allowing them to find her in a matter of minutes.

"Jessie!" James and Meowth seemed to chorus at once, instantly relieved to have finally found her. "I'm so glad you're safe Jes!" James said, hugging her fiercely. "Are you alright, did they hurt you?"

"N-no, I'm fine," Jessie answered. She felt her face beginning to flush from the contact, suddenly aware of the closeness that they shared. She was glad for the darkness then, at least he wouldn't be able to see her embarrassment.

"Hey Jessie, what's with the puff ball?" Meowth questioned when the young Poochyena came forward to sniff him. "And what happened? That Mightyena said something about bringing you to see an Alpha or somethin'."

"U-um, yeah, that's right," Jessie fretted, wondering if she should tell them the whole story or not. "I met with one of the alphas, and she gave me this Poochyena to train."

James frowned; Something in her tone made him worry. She sounded frightened, or maybe just exhausted. Either way, he wasn't about to allow anything else to stress her out. "C'mon Jes, let's get you back to camp, you seem tired." With one hand he held the flashlight and wrapped his other over her shoulders, guiding her back the way they came.

As they trekked on back through the forest, Jessie's mind was a buzz of questions and doubts. For one thing, why was James being so physical right now? Or perhaps she was just much more conscientious of little things like that after her talk with Serene. Regardless, she was too tired and overwhelmed to confront the matter, and in the end she just let him have his way. Besides, it was kind of nice, being taken care of for a change.

---


End file.
